Within four days last week, pro-Israel congressional leaders Cong. Brad Sherman (D-CA-30) and Cong. Doug Lamborn (R-CO-05), gathered signatures from nearly 100 of their colleagues for a letter urging that a congressional invitation be extended to Israel’s Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.

The bi-partisan congressional letter called upon the leadership of the House of Representatives to invite Netanyahu to speak before a joint session of congress when he visits Washington this spring.

The letter cites the importance of inviting the leader of “our closest ally in the Middle East” to speak to congress, particularly given the widespread instability and turmoil in the region.

“Given the importance of our relationship with Israel we ask you to invite Prime Minister Netanyahu to address a Join Session of Congress. Doing so would send a clear message of support for Israel,” the letter states.

“The strong support we have received for this initiative shows our close relationship with the State of Israel which is based on deeply shared values, as well as moral, historical and security ties,” said Congressman Doug Lamborn (CO-05) in a release issued on Thursday, Feb. 13.

At virtually the same time as members of congress were joining together in an effort to demonstrate support for America’s closest ally in the Middle East, another group of Americans were drafting a letter with a very different message to Netanyahu, Israel’s democratically elected leader.

JEWS LAUD KERRY’S EFFORTS; WANT NETANYAHU TO FOLLOW SUIT

This second letter was primarily drafted and signed by members of the Israel Policy Forum, a group once considered iconoclastic because it chose to follow a path that differed from the centrist American Israel Public Affairs Council.

The IPF, formed in the early 1990s, is largely indistinguishable from the newer J Street, other than that the leadership and membership of J Street is much younger. The IPF membership is not only significantly older than J Street, most are extraordinarily wealthy. Moshe Dann wrote an informative article on the IPF membership in 2012. They have billionaires and heiresses and a felon, oh my!

The central plank of the IPF, like that of J Street, is that a “Two State Solution” to the Middle East conflict is imperative and American diplomatic strength must be deployed to push Israel to accept that policy immediately.

In keeping with that position, the IPF letter to Netanyahu on Wednesday, Feb. 12, lavishes praise on the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry for his “extraordinary resolve” in advancing the “efforts to pursue a negotiated resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on two states for two peoples.”

The IPF letter explained to Israel’s elected leader that they believe what Kerry is doing presents the best opportunity for Israel’s future.

We believe Secretary Kerry’s determined diplomatic effort offers an unprecedented opportunity to ensure Israel’s security, to enhance its prosperity, and to avoid the existential threat to the Jewish posed by bi-nationalism.

Those signing the letter express “hope” that the acting leader of the Palestinian Arabs, Mahmoud Abbas, will help to advance the talks.

Describing this as being a “pivotal moment of decision making” and a “critical juncture for the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations,” the IPF signers implore Netanyahu “to move forward to pursue a lasting peace agreement.”

The letter is signed by 150 American Jews. Although they refer to themselves as a “cross section of American Jews,” most of them have been involved with the IPF for more than 20 years. Apparently they believe the inclusion of Professor Alan Dershowitz, a harsh critic of the boisterous J Street young bucks, gives them diversity creds.

Most recently (prior to last week’s letter) virtually the same passel of peaceniks wrote to Netanyahu in April, 2013. That time they sent him a finger-wagging letter, imploring him to, in the wake of U.S. President Barack Obama’s visit to the Middle East, “respond to President Obama’s call for peace.”

About the Author:Lori Lowenthal Marcus is the US correspondent for The Jewish Press. She is a recovered lawyer who previously practiced First Amendment law and taught in Philadelphia-area graduate and law schools. You can reach her by email: Lori@JewishPressOnline.com

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19 Responses to “Two Letters to Bibi: Congress Welcomes, Jews Warn”

I SURE DO PRAY THAT ISRAEL BELIEVES NOTHING COMING FROM BAMA OR KERRY. THEY ALL LIE TO ISRAEL INCLUDING HILLARY. SO PLEASE P.M. DO NOT LISTEN TO THIS CORRUPT ADMIN THAT IS IN OFFICE NOW. TRUST NO ONE BUT GOD. LISTEN TO NO ONE BUT GOD. HE NEVER LIES AND HE KEEPS ALL HIS PROMISES. THANK YOU LORD FOR ISRAEL. GOD BLESS AND KEEP ISRAEL SAFE UNTIL YOUR RETURN. AMEN and AMEN. “NEXT YEAR JERUSALEM”

There are no 2 states, there is no divided Israel, and no divided Jerusalem. They need to just follow the biblical scriptures to see that there is no reason to deal with people who want to dead, and thrown into the sea. Follow the words of our Torah, and do not bend to those who know nothing !!!

How can there be Peace? they hate Israel, the Jews, in schools teach their children for sixty years hatred, Abbas says that does not matter, we want peace. the USA and Mr. Kerry are Blind and cannot see. Israel must be able to protect its People in the Land of its Ancestors.

Those Jews who adivise Netanyahu to accept what Kerry is doing, are ready to make appointments with their psychiarist.
They have no idea as to what they are saying, and what is reality.
Kerry has demanded that Israel surrender to Abbas.
That he supports the terrorists against Israel.
I hope that Netanyahu tells those s where to get off.

Maybe they need to visit Israel and see what is happeneing. I wonder if they hev ever visited Israel.
I f Israel gives in to Abbas demands, there will be no more Israel.Kerry wants Jerusalem to be divided.
I wonder if he has ever read the bible???
Jerusalem and the entire land was given to the Jews by G-D. Nobody can take that away.
League of Nations and Balfour Declaration gave the land to the Jews.

The, as Newt Gingrich called them, INVENTED PEOPLE, HAVE NO BIBLICAL CLAIM TO ANY PATRT OF THE G-D GIVEN LAND.

The only way to make peace with people who are committed to killing you is to agree to die. So long as the Israelis remember that, I don't think we have anything to worry about. The American government knows that and doesn't care, which should tell people a lot about the American government.

proving the exception to the rule that there are no dumb Jews. during hitler's time my father's german jewish cousins sent their furniture to america. they were never heard from again. there is a dangerous lunatic in the white house but never mind.

here is my message plain clearly stated here those J street people and the 150 American jews are making a deadly mistake on Israel urging them to accept Kerry and Obama evil plan to weaken us and them are crazy enough to do that. I think its time to send our own letters to sign and say NO!! do not give in to the trap and do not give in to Abbas or Obama or Kerry they are evil and are planning to destroy America and Israel and no showing support. our letters should be online and signed by us americans to send to prime minister. to say that we support Israel and we do not want him to fall for the concessional trap set up by Kerry and Abbas and so on from there its time we do something we cant just sit here and watch it go to nothing.

AS A RELIGIOUS WEBSITE ARE WE NOT ALLOWED TO ASK THE ISRAEL POLICY FORUM AND PRO ISRAEL CONGRESSIONAAL LEADERS TO SPEAK TO NETANYAHU AND TO OBAMA AND HAVE JONATHAN POLLARD WHO HAS BEEN SICK IN AN AMERICAN JAIL FOR 29 YEARS AND MUST BE TRANSFERRED TO AN ISRAELI HOSPITAL(AMERICA HAS DONE ALL IT COULD UP TILL NOW) SO THAT HE CAN FINALLY GET WELL. IF HHE WERE AN ARAB,,WOULDN'T WE DO THAT LITTLE MERCY..PLEASE

Start your petition and we will join you..Also,sign on my site to have Jonathan Pollard transferred to an Israeli prison for immediate medical care…He is sick years and must come home on BIbi'S plane to make sure nothing happens to him..Are we waiting for him to die? G d Forbid

The Arab mindset is: "We CAN and WILL get rid of the Jews". No "treaty" will change this, on the contrary, a treaty will be viewed as submission, and will encourage the warmongers. There is NO possibility of peace with the Arabs until this changes; Arabs must stop denying the will of Allah – See "Allah Is a Zionist", http://www.tabletmag.com/news-and-politics/28575/allah-is-a-zionist/, and read the recent book by Professor Nissim Dana:
'למי שייכת הארץ הזאת – עיון מחודש בקוראן' (הוצאת מוסד ביאליק ואוניברסיטת אריאל).